A Madison County man was sentenced recently to 15 years in prison for vehicular homicide.

Jerry Thomas was driving drunk March 29 of last year when he struck Morris Lee Rawlings of Colbert from behind, killing him, then fleeing the scene.

Thomas pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle in the first degree, DUI, driving while license suspended, and open container in the Superior Court of Madison County.

Chief Judge Tom Hodges issued the maximum sentence of 15 years without the possibility of parole.

“Mr. Rawlings was 52 years old when his life was tragically and senselessly cut short by the gross negligence of Mr. Thomas,” said Northern Judicial Circuit District Attorney Parks White. “Mr. Rawlings was the breadwinner for his family, and left behind a wife, his adult son, three grandchildren, and his 78-year-old mother, who Mr. Rawlings took care of.”

Rawlings was employed as a handyman at the Marriott in Athens, and his car was being repaired. As he could not find a ride, he was making his way to his job on foot.

Thomas was driving a Ford Windstar van under the influence of alcohol. His vehicle was full of empty beer cans. Thomas struck Mr. Rawlings from behind with the right front bumper of his vehicle. The impact threw Rawlings body forward, and he died a short time later from traumatic head injuries.

White said the collision caused damage to Thomas’s windshield, and knocked a post-market review mirror loose from the vehicle. Instead of stopping to render aid, Thomas turned his vehicle around and drove back towards Danielsville, where he ran his vehicle into a tree off of Glenn Carrie Road. There were no eyewitnesses to the incident.

Thomas was located later in the morning Deputy Neal Hinsley of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, who, after observing Thomas’s profound level of intoxication, placed him under arrest for DUI. Thomas refused a chemical test of his blood or breath. Deputy Hinsley noted damage to the windshield of Thomas’s vehicle inconsistent with the accident. At the time of Thomas’ arrest, Rawling’s body had not yet been discovered.

Rawlings’ body was located later in the day, and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the GBI, and the Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT) arrived on scene and began an investigation. A microscopic examination of lifts from Thomas’s windshield revealed fibers that matched those of the jacket worn by Rawlings.

Thomas’s criminal history included 44 prior arrests, seven prior DUI convictions, and three felony convictions. He was noticed as a recidivist by ADA Michael Coveney, vehicular homicide 1 of 2 specialist, who refused to waive the notice prior to Thomas pleading guilty.

“The Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia State Patrol, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation should be credited for a thorough and sifting investigation resulting in a conviction in a case where the evidence was largely circumstantial,” said White.

Until an addict is cured, they will be a threat to the rest of us; it doesn't matter the length of incarceration. If he could be cured in two months, he should be given those two months to then be free to begin life again, clean. Punishment has no effect on addicts or other mental illnesses. Unfortunately, we have no reliable cure so he should be put away for the rest of his days, not as punishment, but only as a means to protect the rest of us from him. And that costs all of us a great deal. Better to put money into finding a cure for addiction and eliminate the mountain of ills addictions cause society. It's not a moral issue; it's a medical issue.

Wake up Virginia - do some research. Addiction is a MEDICAL condition and THERE IS NO CURE!!! Just as there is no CURE for diabetes, one with this disease has to take responsibility for one's behavior to keep this disease in check. This man is NOT WILLING to do what he needs to do to stop his destructive behavior. I agree - if he will not accept responsibility, he needs to be locked away. But let's reverse this red neck thinking that addiction can be cured. It cannot. Once an addict, always an addict. And the consequences for drunk driving, etc., need to be tough enough to change behavior. Pain is natures way of keeping us from doing stupid things. Hopefully his sentence will be enough pain. But, Virginia, until you understand the disease of addiction, you will continue the pain of banking ignorant statements.

44 prior arrest, seven DUI's, Three felony convictions and he was out driving around drunk when he hit and killed an innocent man.

I've been in law enforcement for over thirty years and I've seen this sort of thing happen on more occasions than I care to remember. The point being we have a very important Judges election coming up on May 24. I encourage each of you to go back and read some of the sentences handed down lately.

You cant be a surgeon if you're afraid of blood. You cant be a good Judge if you're afraid to send someone to prison. Probation just don't get it.

This has absolutely nothing to do with the DA's office. The judges are who issue the sentences and in this case he gave the maximum allowed sentence. You will see that if you read the article. A vote for Richard Campbell would severely set our justice system back. You would know that if you had any knowledge of the justice system. If you have a problem with our justice system, look at your legislature. Like it says in the article and I said before, he was given the maximum allowable sentence which is set by them. Parks white has made tremendous strides in making us safer and hopefully is allowed to continue doing so. Please read and understand what you are talking about before commenting. Thanks

I normally don't comment but I have to say this man got off easy!!! I mean here we have a Honest, hard working, no matter what has to be done to support his family REAL MAN(!) lose his life walking to work. And Clayton Lowe is correct! My brother was sentenced to 15yrs a "drug dealer" and he got 15 yrs! The only life he(my brother) ever took was his own. As I said to the judge that sentenced my brother maybe if the system had tried to help my brother the first time n' get him some help he wouldn't have been there again. There is no crime for being a addict only a dealer. Well that man doesn't deserve to come home. He couldn't even stop or hell just call 911 for him. He has no heart!

Add Comment

Name

Email

Homepage

In reply to

Comment

E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications.

To prevent automated Bots from commentspamming, please enter the string you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly.Enter the string from the spam-prevention image above:

Phone*

What is six plus two?

Remember Information? Subscribe to this entry

Submitted comments will be subject to moderation before being displayed.